"It doesn't look too bad," Lucinda said.
"It's a dress!" Link exclaimed, referring to his new clothing.
"No, it's a tunic, and it will give you better protection in battle," Lucinda said matter-of-factly.
"I don't care, it feels like a dress," Link said, crossing his arms.
He was wearing a green tunic over a white shirt, a new leather belt and baldric, white tights, his boots, and of course, his green pointed hat. His sword was stored in the baldric's sheath, and his ocarina was stored in one of the tunic's many pockets.
"Well, you'll have to get used to it," Lucinda stated simply.
Link paid the tailor, grumbling, and he and Lucinda left the shop. Besides the outfit that Link now wore, they had bought a fur-lined coat for Lucinda, a couple of empty bottles, a small shield, and a supposedly "magic" lantern.
The two of them now walked along the busy street, searching for the house with red shutters. Soon enough, they had found it along a back street. It seemed like nothing more than an earth-brick hut, it' red shutters hanging off of their hinges at unnatural angles. The door was standing open a crack, and, nodding at each other, the two entered.
The interior of the house was dank and musty. It was also very dark, as the small windows admitted very little light. Link and Lucinda entered slowly into the single room, a feeling of dread growing in each of their stomachs. Suddenly, the door and the shutters slammed shut, engulfing the two in total darkness. However, a fire had begun to burn in the fireplace before them, and a man in a blue robe was slowly approaching them.
He was a tall man, though his true size, as well as his face, was disguised by the robe. The robe itself was embroidered across the chest with a red eye surrounded by ritual markings. The man carried only a curved staff, much like a shepherd's crook.
"Darkness is gathering across the land," the man said, his voice mysterious and creepy.
"W-when light fails, nothing can escape the shadows," Link replied, his voice shaking slightly.
"Do you fear me?" the man asked in a more comforting voice. "Do not fear, for I am here to help you. My name is Byrna, and I am a sage of the Sheikah Tribe. Come, I will lead you to the temple."
As he said this, the fire went out and the fireplace split in two, revealing a passageway leading downward. Link lit his lantern, and he and Lucinda followed the wizard, who was beckoning them forward.
Byrna removed his hood, revealing his face to them. Medium-length platinum hair covered his scalp, and a thick platinum beard and mustache grew upon his face. His face was thin and sunken, but intelligent grey eyes shone brightly from their sockets.
"The Sheikah have survived for thousands of years in this world," he told Link and Lucinda as they traveled deeper into the cool, moist caves. "We left Hyrule, the land of your ancestors, when the King of Darkness entered into that realm. However, one of our followers stayed behind to fight him. She was a sage of the Triforce, one of those who allied themselves with the Hero of Time in order to imprison the Dark King."
"Is this Dark King the one who now threatens our land?" Lucinda asked.
"Sadly, I'm afraid this is so," Byrna replied, a melancholy tone in his voice. "The Sages of the Triforce banished the King of Evil to the Void between realms, but he was able to escape. Fortunately, a young boy named Link, who is referred to as the Hero of Winds, used the Master Sword to seal the Dark King in stone."
"You said that the Dark King was banished to the Void between realms," Link replied. "Do you mean to say that there are realms other than our own world?"
"There is one realm that is connected to this world," Byrna stated, "and that is the Sacred Realm. The Book of Mudora speaks of it: 'In a realm beyond sight, the sky shines gold, not blue. There, the Triforce's might makes mortal dreams come true.' This realm is the resting place of the Triforce, an artifact said to hold the essence of the gods."
"Yes, the Great Fairy mentioned the Triforce," Lucinda said thoughtfully. "I was wondering..."
But what she was wondering, they never found out. At that moment, a warrior wearing a skin-tight suit and mask of jet appeared in a flash of blinding white light. He brandished a long white whip as his only weapon. Lucinda stepped back instinctively, but Link was ready, his sword gripped tightly in his left hand.
The two warriors danced in a circle, sizing the other up and measuring their own chances. Then, without warning, the fighter in black cracked the whip, missing Link's left ear by only inches. He then swung the whip in a low circle, intending to wrap up Link's legs. However, Link leapt over the whip, aiming his sword in a deadly arc towards the warriors head. The warrior rolled to the side, cracking the whip once more at Link. However, Link was too quick, and the whip hit only the rock wall.
Now, Link was on the offensive. He sliced at the warrior, who narrowly missed the shining blade. Link continued to hack and slash, coming closer to the mark each time. Then, the warrior did something unexpected: he surrendered.
"Who are you?" Link asked the warrior in black.
"It does not matter who I am," replied the warrior, "but it is who you are that is important."
"I don't understand," Link replied.
"Your birthmark is proof of your heritage, and of your destiny," the warrior stated. "I was sent to test you, to see if you were truly the hero we have been waiting for. I was also sent to give you this."
With that, he coiled the whip and handed it to Link.
"This is an ancient weapon of the Sheikah, rumored to have been used by the Hero Sheik," the warrior explained. "It has magical properties associated with it. If you wrap it around an object, the whip will not unwrap until you will it to. Also, if the whip is cracked, anything which the tip touches will be weakened substantially." Dramatically, he punched the wall where the tip of the whip had touched it. The stone shattered, leaving a small crater in the wall. "Use it wisely," he concluded, and with a flash of flames, he was gone.
"Hurry on," Byrna urged, "we have almost reached our destination." With that, Link packed away the whip, and the three of them continued on.
After several minutes, they reached a great wall of stone, broad oaken doors spanning the only opening. Off to the side, a tunnel led further downward.
"The Halls of Valhalla," Byrna stated, a mystical tone in his voice. " Here lie the bones of legendary warriors, long gone. Of late, evil spirits have invaded the tombs, reanimating those same dead bones." Here, he paused. "Link," he continued, "the first pendant resides in the Hall of Kings. You must accomplish this task on your own. The lady and I will wait for you in the Sheikah City, which you will find at the end of this tunnel. Hurry, Link, for I fear that the Great Evil will soon be reawakened. Remember, you are our only hope."
Link turned and faced the doors of Valhalla. Summoning all of his courage, he opened the doors and stepped into the great hall. The door closed loudly behind him.
Link was immediately taken aback by the grandness of the hall. Everything was gilded, including the thick pillars, the five doorways, and the high ceiling. Only the marble floor, streaked with azure, was devoid of golden hues. At the end of the hall stood the greatest of the five doors, a terrible, jewel encrusted lock stretching across it. Of the remaining four doors, only one was unlocked. Seeing no alternative, Link entered this unlocked door, the nearest one on the right.
The adjoining room was completely dark, save for the light emanating from Link's lantern. Hoping to find a torch to light, Link searched along the walls. Instead of finding torches, though, he discovered a small trough running along the wall, filled with a rivulet of liquid. Link brought the lantern closer to investigate. Without warning, a small flame leapt from the lantern, igniting the liquid, which was in fact lamp oil. What the flames revealed was bone-chilling.
Link was in a sepulcher filled with stone sarcophagi. Rat droppings lined the barrier between the floor and the wall, and the stone floor was stained with blood and urine. Bones were hanging out of some of the stone caskets, some of them riddled with tooth marks.
In the center of the room sat a large oak treasure chest. Link opened this, discovering a map of the dungeon. Link the entered the door at the other end of the room. This lead to a very small chamber, in which the only decorum was a small treasure chest sitting on a pedestal. Inside the chest was a small silver key, along with a note that read: "This key can open any locked door in the hall, but can only be used once. It cannot open the master lock."
Link stored the key in one of his pockets, then exited the small room. He crossed the tomb and tried the door, but it would not open. Suddenly, Link heard the sound of stone rubbing on stone, and, turning around, he saw the cause: the skeletons were rising from their graves.
Although the blood had frozen in his veins, Link readied his sword and shield. Only five of the skeletons had arisen as Stalfos, or bone-warriors. With a leaping slice, Link quickly dispatched his undead adversaries. When the last bone fell, Link heard a loud click, and, turning around, he saw that the door to the Gilded Hall had opened.
The first thing that Link noticed was that the hall was now lighted, thanks to the channel of lamp oil he had lighted. Link quickly crossed the hall, unlocking the door immediately across from the one he had just exited. This door opened onto a long, narrow hall, but boulders blocked the path ahead. A small chest sat in the middle of the hall, and Link opened this, finding a small key.
Seeing nothing else to do at the time, Link left the narrow hall and unlocked the door on his left. Entering the door, he found himself in another narrow hall. This one was lined with Beamos, which are statues that shoot laser beams from their eyes. Feeling that he had reached a dead end, Link examined his end of the hall. Spying a discoloration on the right wall, Link had an idea. Taking out his whip, Link struck the discolored patch. Hitting the weakened wall with the butt of his sword, he discovered a switch behind the rubble. He pressed this, and the Beamos immediately shut their eyes, clearing the hall of beams. Seeing his chance, Link quickly crossed the hall and entered the far door.
He found himself on a cliff, overlooking a deep chasm. On the other side stood another cliff, with a door leading to the next room. The remnants of a wooden rope bridge hung down the side of the far cliff, and Link knew there was no crossing that way. Before he lost all hope, though, he noticed a tree root hanging from the ceiling of the cave, forming a sort of loop. Remembering what the Sheikah warrior had told him, Link took out his whip and flung it, wrapping the end around the tree root. Then he jumped, swinging across the chasm. When he reached the other side, he snapped the whip, unwrapping it from the tree root. Coiling this, Link noticed a small chest on the ground, and he quickly pocketed the small key it held. Then he entered the nearby door.
What he found was a seemingly empty room, with no apparent exit except for the door which he had just passed through. Link made to exit through that very door, when suddenly, bars shot up through the floor, blocking the portal. Only then did Link notice the sound of liquid dripping from the ceiling. Turning around, he found himself facing a giant ChuChu, a gelatinous blob.
Link slashed at the giant ChuChu, causing it to squeak in pain. The ChuChu quivered, but it was not yet defeated. With a loud cry, the blob hardened its outer layer. Link tried another slash, but to no avail; the blade merely glanced off. Seeing its chance, the ChuChu reeled back and smacked Link on the forehead, causing him considerable pain. But Link was not stalled for long. Quickly, he pulled out his whip, cracking it at the blob. The ChuChu quivered, and, seeing his opportunity, Link defeated the monster with a leaping chop.
Now, living in the forest has its benefits. Link learned at a young age that the jelly of a ChuChu has healing properties. With this knowledge, Link quickly healed his wound, and then stored some more of the jelly in one of his empty bottles. Soon, however, he noticed something far more appealing. A giant treasure chest had magically appeared in the center of the room. Scrambling over to this, Link opened it to find a leather bag filled with bombs and a small box holding two pieces of flint.
Link turned to exit the room, but found that bars still covered the door. Impulsively, he examined the room, trying to find a switch. Discovering none, he proceeded to tap the walls with the butt of his sword. Finally, he discovered a hollow sound along the left wall. Using his newfound bombs, he attempted to blast the wall, and… nothing. However, Link was not one to give up. He uncoiled his whip and snapped it at the wall, fracturing it. Link then placed another bomb against the wall, this time succeeding in clearing a passageway.
The next room contained a slew of Stalfos, which Link quickly dispatched. He opened the door on his left to find himself in the narrow hallway blocked with boulders. With a quick blast, these were soon gone, and Link was through the hall and back in the Gilded Hall.
Knowing that his goal was near at hand, Link rushed to the last locked door (not counting the one barred by the master lock) and opened it. He found himself in yet another small room, complete with a treasure chest holding a small key, which Link pocketed, and a door along the opposite wall. Entering the next room, Link found himself in a chamber much like the one in which he had found his bomb bag. Sure enough, bars blocked the door as soon as he entered, and two giant ChuChus dropped from the ceiling. Link dealt with these in much the same fashion as the first one, though the battle was more difficult.
After the blobs had been defeated, Link noticed that another large chest, this time embroidered in yellow and blue gold, had magically appeared in the center of the room. Opening this, he found a golden key with a demon's head, a red rub shining where the demon's one eye should have been. This was, in fact, the master key to the dungeon. Guessing its purpose, Link exited the room through the now bar-less door, passed through the next room, and unlocked the master lock.
Opening the door, Link found himself in the Hall of Kings. The walls were piled high with shelves full of glittering treasure, and tapestries of purple velvet displayed the crest of the royal family. At the far end of the room was a golden sarcophagus, bearing a lock similar to those found on the dungeon's lesser doors. However, Link had gone only a few steps towards this when the whole room started to shake.
Suddenly, the ceiling burst, and a giant armored Stalfos knight came crashing down into the hall. Link found himself facing the Stalfos King, in all its terrible power. The King aimed a chop of its axe at Link, and the Hylian barely dodged its blade. Link countered with a similarly deadly arc of his sword, but the blade just glanced off of the plate armor. Meanwhile, the Stalfos King swung his axe in a horizontal slice. Link dodged just in time, but this time he tasted the axe's blade, receiving a deep gash across his breastbone.
Link tried a few more stabs, with no more luck than before. He was running out of strength from his wound, and he feared that he was lost. At just that moment, he remembered his whip. Uncoiling it, he struck the Stalfos King, stunning it. Link then swung his sword at the skeleton, causing the bones to come crashing to the floor in a heap. Then, in a stroke of genius, Link placed a lighted bomb in the pile. The resulting blast turned the bones to dust.
Link was startled to find that now, floating before him was the ghostly image of an ancient king. "Fear not, for I mean you no harm," spoke the ghost. "I commend you for your courage, and thank you for freeing my spirit. In thanks, I offer you a heart container, a magical artifact which will increase your resilience against attacks."
Link accepted this gift with many thanks. As soon as the heart container touched his fingers, it disappeared, and Link's wounds immediately healed. Moreover, he felt stronger and more energized.
"Monsters who are strong in spirit may also bear hears such as these," the ghostly king continued. "Now, let me read your fortune, for, as a ghost, I possess the power of prophecy. Here is what I see: 'Somebody dear to you will betray you soon, to the misfortune of all. Be wary of the company you keep.' That is all I can tell you. Heed it well." With that, the ghostly king faded in a flash of white light.
Link was confused about this message, but he made his way over to the golden sarcophagus all the same. He inserted his final small key into the lock and slid off the lid. Inside, he found the king's bones, his bony hands clasping a green pendant on a gold chain. Link grabbed this, replaced the lid, and left the Halls of Valhalla.